Maker on the move

For the past few weeks, rumors have swirled that five-star junior big man Thon Maker could be leaving the Carlisle School in Martinsville, Va. In a statement sent to Rivals.com on Wednesday, Maker's guardian Edward Smith confirmed that Maker and his class of 2017 brotherMatur Maker would be leaving the school.

A seven-footer with a high level of skill and athleticism, Thon Maker currently ranks No. 3 in the class of 2016 while Matur has the tools to be a highly ranked player in 2017.

Exactly where the brothers end up is still to be decided and Smith is in the process of researching programs for the Makers to transfer to.

After an excellent academic year and State Championship season at the Carlisle School, followed by a great AAU seasons on the Adidas circuit with Team Loaded VA, the common theme for Thon and Matur to optimize their potential has been core strength development with additional muscle gain," wrote Smith in the statement. "The last Adidas Nations provided Thon with the opportunity to be assessed by the performance specialist group P3. We were able to get an in depth analysis of Thon's strengths and areas of improvement.

"This assessment has lead us to leave the Carlisle School with extreme appreciation for all that was accomplished. We are currently in the process of evaluating several exciting opportunities. We have visited Hopewell Academy of Cary, NC and are currently in Canada working out at Athlete Institute in Orangeville, Ontario. Hopewell Academy offers us access to EXOS performance facility in Cary, North Carolina. Athlete Institute has a world class training program where high level prep talent such as Jamal Murray, Jalen Poyser and Kyle Alexander currently train."

A timetable has not been set for when the Maker brothers will enroll in a new school, but given the time of year it is reasonable to assume a decision will be made in the very near future.

Smith finished the statement by thanking all of those involved at he Carlisle School.

"We leave the Carlisle School academic community and our good friends in Martinsville with nothing but the best of memories. We would like to thank Headmaster Tommy Hudgins, Athletic Director Keith Dallas, assistant AD Mancino Craighead, Head Coach Jason Niblett and his staff, CW Elliott, the entire staff at the YMCA, Coach Charlie Holland, and all the other families in Martinsville that made our stay special."